Apparatus for distilling fatty acids



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P. S TICKNEY. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING FATTY ACIDS. A No. 384,725. Patented June 19, 1888.

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(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet}; P. STIGKNEY.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING FATTY AGIDS.

Patented June 19 N PETEML Phnln-UIMR IPMI'. Wailingiom DJI- v UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

PAUL STIOKNEY, OF MADEIRA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES N. GAMBLE, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR DlSTiLLlNG FATTY ACIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,725, dated June 19, 1888. Application filed February 518, 1887. Serial No.229,1l3. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

- Be it known that 1, PAUL STIOKNEY, a resident of Madeira, county of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling Crude Fatty Acids, of which the following is a specification.

The several features of my invention and the advantages resulting from their use, conjointly or otherwise,will be apparent from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 represents my device in elevation and section and shows the relations of the several parts of the device to each other. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of my device on a larger scale than that employed in Fig. 1, and showing the still proper shortened, the furnace being omitted and the heating-box I removed from the chimney. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken at the line as m, Fig. 2. V

The still A is preferably made of copper, but other material may be employed. The bottom Aof the still is preferably fiat,or prac tically so, while the sides and top may be curved in any convenient shape. Thus the still in crosssection would appear about as shown in Fig. 3. At the upper part of the 'still, preferably at the rear end, a steam-pipe,

A, enters. From thelowest point of the still a pipe, A leads off and terminates in a condensing-worm, which rests in a tub of water. At the rear of the still, near the bottom, there is also preferably placed a series of try-cocks, a.

The still A is set in brick-work, much as an ordinary steam-boiler, except that the rear end of the still is set lower than the front end. The furnace B is preferably placed under the front end of the still, and the flue 13' extends backwardly under the bottom until it reaches to the end or nearly to the end of the still, whence it communicates with the chimney O.

'The outletpipe D preferably arises from the highest point of the still. It extends over to the condensing'eolumns K, which are of the usual construction and provided with the usual condensing-worms, k. The pipe D is surrounded for apart of its length by a vessel, E, which at one end is rigidly attached to the pipe D, while at the other end it is preferably provided with an expansion-joint or stuffingbox, e, as shown. This vessel E is preferably located as close to the still as possible. The

vessel E communicates with the interior of the still, the preferred means of communica tion being the pipe F,which extends from the lowest point of the vessel E to the distribut ing-pipeG in the still. G extends across the still at its front end parallel to the bottom, and is provided with a se- The distributing-piperies of comparatively small openings, 9. The

pipe H may also be employed. It communicates with the vessel E and returns to the still through the pipe D and terminates in the distributing-pipe G. Either of the pipes H and F may be omitted or both employed, as indieated in the drawings.

The heating-box I consists of a closed recep tat-1e, which is provided with an outlet-pipe, t,

which con'imunicates with the upper part of the vessel E. The feed-pipe J connects the heatingbox I with thestock-tank L. Asteampipe, M, passes through the heating-box Land is arranged in the box in return bends-or coils, so as to impart the greatest possible amount of heat to the contents of the box I.

The box I may be placed in the chimney,as

shown in Fig. 1, so as to utilize the waste heat from the furnace, or it may be located in any other convenient position.

It is desirable to provide the apparatus at various points with stop-cocks which control the rate of supply. Thus it is desirable to have a stop-cock, j, in the pipe J; also astopcock, i, in the pipe i,- also a st0p-cock,f, in the pipe F, and a stop-cock, a, in the pipe A In the manufacture of candles the grease or fats employed are first decomposed and the fatty acids separated from the glycerine. The crude fatty acids thus obtained are purified by distillation. In the process of distillation the fatty acids are vaporized and pass over from the still into condensers, where they are re rco The mode of operation of my device is as follows The crude acids are kept in the stools tank L and admitted as desired to the heating box I, where a considerable degree of heat is imparted to the mass by the waste heat of the chimney as well as by the steam in the pipe M. Superheated steam is preferably employed, in order to heat the acids as much as possible. From the heating-box I the hot acids pass into the vessel E, where they are raised to a still higher temperature by the hot vapors passing through the pipe D. In the vessel E the acids are heated almost to the point required for dis tillation, and when they enter the still but-very little more heat is required to effect the desired object. The acids are conveyed to the still from the vessel E either through the pipe F or the pipe H or, both, if both are employed. For this purpose the pipe H has the advantage of passing through the hot vapors from the still, and in this way assists very materially in heating the acids; but the pipe'F is more accessible than the pipe H, and therefore more easily repaired, and when properly jacketed the acids passing through it suffer no loss of heat.

- The acids are received in the still in the distributing-pipe G, from which they escape in small streams through the openings 9 and fall onto the flat inclined bottom A. The bottom A is heated by the furnace beneath, and the acids being already highly heated before entering the still the distillation proceeds rapidly as the material moves over the inclined surface of the still-bottom. By the time the material has reached the lower end of the still the distillation is complete, the vapors fill the upper part of the still, while the tar has collected at the lower end, where it is continuously drawn off through the pipe A The superheated steam entering through the pipe A forces the vapors through the pipe D to the condensingcolumns K, where they are condensed to theliquid state. When the still is first started, it must be charged with crude acid before the tire is started. In this case it becomes necessary to close the cock a until the try-cocks a show that tar has col lected at the lower end of the still, when the cock a may be opened sufficiently to allowthe tar to escape. Care should be taken, however, to prevent the escape of any other material than tar through the pipe A by regulating the cook a.

Several advantages result from the use of my apparatus, the principal one being the continuous distillation of the crude acid and the continuous removal of the refuse matter from the still. The location of the vessel E around the pipe D is also advantageous, because not only is the material on the way to the still heated by the waste heat of the escaping vapors, but these vapors are also cooled down somewhat by the material in the vessel E. By this means I have been enabled to reduce the number of condensing-columns fromsix or eight to two or three.

While the various'features of my invention are advantageously employed together, they may also be employed separately and fall within the scope of my invention.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination of the exhaustpipe D and vessel E, surrounding the exhaustpipe and rigidly attached thereto at one end and provided with an expansion-joint at the other end, and also provided with inlet and outlet pipes, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In combination with a still, the outlet pipe D, vessel E, surrounding pipe D, pipe F, communicating with the still from vessel E, and inlet to vessel E, substantially as specified.

3. In combination with a still, the outletpipe D, vessel E, surrounding pipe D, pipe H, communicating with the still from vessel E and passing into the still through pipe D, and inlet to vessel E, substantially as specified.

4. In combination with a still, the outlet pipe D, vessel E, surrounding outlet-pipe D, pipes F and H, communicating with the still from vessel E, the latter pipe passing into the still through the pipe D, and inlet to vessel E, substantially as specified.

5. In combination with a still, the outletpipe D, vessel E, surrounding pipe D, pipe H, passing from vessel E through pipe D into the still, pipe F, passing from vessel E into the still, pipe G, provided with openings g and communicating with pipes F and H, and inlet to vessel E, substantially as specified.

6. In combination with a still, heating-box I, containing steam-pipe M, outlet-pipe D, vessel E, surrounding pipe D, pipe i, connecting box I and vessel E, and pipe from vessel E communicating with the interior of the still, substantially as specified.

PAUL STIOKNEY.

Attest:

W. S. CHRISTOPHER, W. P. GULIoK. 

